Resilience in the Face of Tragedy: Gayle’s Story
July 31, 2026
By: WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Categories: Raleigh Campus, Stories, Wake Orthopaedics, Orthopaedics, Physical Therapy
Tags: Orthopedic Trauma
On a quiet Sunday evening in July 2025, Gayle McCracken was doing something simple and kind: delivering a meal to a friend recovering from surgery. Less than two miles from her West Raleigh home, her life changed in an instant.
A Shocking Turn of Events
It was around 5:30 pm on July 13 when Gayle stopped at a one-way stop sign. Without warning, another vehicle lost control while turning onto the street and slammed directly into the driver’s side of her car. The force of the impact spun her SUV and sent it crashing down a ravine.
“Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion,” Gayle recalls. “The pain was indescribable.”
The airbags deployed. She couldn’t move either leg. Looking down, she saw one foot twisted at an unnatural angle.
What happened next felt surreal.
Kindness of a Stranger. Expertise of a Winning Team.
Gayle remembers hearing voices outside the vehicle asking if anyone was hurt. Summoning every bit of strength she had, she tried to answer. Then, a stranger appeared at the passenger-side door.
“He spoke broken English, and I spoke broken Spanish,” she says. “But somehow, we understood each other.”
Unable to reach her phone, Gayle relied on memory alone, recalling the phone numbers of her son; daughter; and partner, Mike. The stranger repeatedly called until someone answered. Then, as emergency crews worked around them, he simply held her hand.
“Angels were everywhere,” Gayle surmises.
Emergency medical services (EMS) workers used specialized equipment to remove the driver’s door, but the damage to the vehicle — and Gayle’s injuries — made extraction nearly impossible. She overheard responders discussing the possibility of amputation and severe blood loss.
One rescue worker climbed into the back of the SUV and calmly explained that the only way to get her out was to recline her seat and pull her through the rear of the vehicle.
A Will to Live
“I remember him asking, ‘Can you do it?’” Gayle recounts. “And I remember thinking, ‘Is there another option?’”
Despite the fear and overwhelming pain, she focused on staying calm. She asked responders not to discuss the severity of her injuries within earshot, so she could mentally prepare herself to endure what came next.
State-of-the-Art, Compassionate Care at WakeMed
Gayle was transported to the WakeMed Raleigh Campus Level I Trauma Center. Emergency Department and trauma teams moved quickly to save her life with a systematic approach — assessing her injuries and recognizing life-threatening bleeding for which she received blood products prior to transitioning to Imaging Services.
She suffered multiple traumatic injuries, including open and closed fractures in both legs; fractures to her pelvis, sacrum and L5 vertebra; and a near amputation of her right ankle — the same ankle that had undergone major reconstructive surgery just one year earlier.
“I remember worrying about my ankle,” she replies. “My daughter and one of the physician assistants told me that would be the least of my worries.”
Gayle received blood transfusions, underwent emergency procedures to stabilize her breathing and had her first surgery later that night to stabilize the fractures in both legs. A second surgery followed two days later, performed by Wake Orthopaedics trauma surgeon Timothy Harris, MD.
"Dr. Harris was amazing at patching me back together. Because of him, I was able to recover enough to prepare for rehab."
Dr. Harris adds, "She had fractures to her tibia and fibula bones bilaterally, and I performed a surgery to align the bones and insert rods in the tibia in each leg. She recovered well after surgery, and I'm very glad she healed."
Hope for Rehab
From surgery, she was admitted directly into the Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU), where trauma surgical critical care and orthopaedic teams managed her care. She remained for several days before transferring to WakeMed Rehabilitation Hospital on July 17.
Getting there was no small feat.
To qualify for admission to inpatient rehabilitation, Gayle received three hours of daily physical and occupational therapy — despite still requiring a Hoyer lift, being unable to roll over without severe pain and relying on a bedpan.
Both Gayle and her care team believed she could do it. She refused to give up.
She credits case manager Amy McDowell for advocating fiercely on her behalf and helping ensure she received the level of rehabilitation she needed instead of being discharged to a skilled nursing facility.
“I don’t believe I would have recovered to this extent otherwise,” Gayle says. “The rehab team at WakeMed looked beyond my age and considered my lifestyle, my yoga practice and my belief that movement is medicine.”
Day by day, progress came through determination, expert care and therapy. Gayle worked closely with occupational therapists, physical therapists and recreational therapists who helped her rebuild her strength and confidence.
Discharge Home to Continue the Journey Toward Healing
By mid-August, she returned home, where recovery continued with in-home support and outpatient physical therapy at a facility near her home.
The healing process was long, with Gayle spending 90 days on short-term disability. Some days were difficult with setbacks and moments of uncertainty.
Still, Gayle made a choice each morning to start again.
“I chose joy every day,” she recounts. “Some days were harder, so I relished in the days that were easier.”
Gayle's Life Today
Today, Gayle is walking again — with the loving support of her golden retriever. She has returned to yoga, though she describes it as “a different practice now." It, too, continues to evolve alongside her recovery, with her sharing her trauma story while attending a yoga retreat.
She also remains deeply connected to the caregivers who helped carry her through the darkest moments of her life. Nurses, aides and therapists who once cared for her as a trauma patient have since become friends.
Nurse Gani Sowunmi and two aides still keep in touch.
To mark the anniversary of the crash on July 13, Gayle plans to celebrate not just survival — but the extraordinary WakeMed care team members, and others, who helped her heal.
“Family, friends, caregivers, strangers: I was surrounded by angels.”
About WakeMed Raleigh Campus
As part of the Raymond L. Champ Centers for Emergency Medicine on our Raleigh Campus, the adult emergency department is available around the clock, 365 days a year to treat everything from minor cuts and broken arms to something more serious like stroke, a heart attack or major trauma. The Adult Emergency Department on the WakeMed Raleigh Campus is home to Wake County's only Level I Trauma Center, as well as a nationally accredited Chest Pain and Primary Stroke Center. Raleigh Campus adult emergency department is one of the busiest emergency departments in the state.
About Wake Orthopaedics
Our orthopaedic surgeons and specialists offer the highest quality care for pediatric and adult patients. Our practices provide a full range of orthopaedic services including advanced diagnostic imaging, innovative treatment options, minimally invasive and traditional procedures, and rehabilitation services. Whether it be recovering from a broken bone, joint replacement surgery, a sports injury or a fracture – our goal is to get you back to doing the things you love.
About WakeMed Imaging Services
WakeMed Imaging Services is a full-service imaging department offering advanced technology, convenient access and prompt testing and results. As professionals who have a true passion for care and caring, we focus on providing excellent, individualized service to each patient. Additionally, we have been designated a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, one of the largest and most influential medical associations in the United States.
About WakeMed Trauma Centers
Trauma isn’t something you plan for. It’s unexpected. In the blink of an eye, your life, or the life of someone you love, can be changed forever. A car accident, a fall, fire or drowning — the list of possible traumatic events is endless. And the toll it takes on a family can last a lifetime.
So, while you may not be planning for trauma, we are. As Wake County’s only provider of trauma services and a regional trauma referral center, our two trauma centers — a Level I Trauma Center at Raleigh Campus and a Level III Trauma Center at Cary Hospital — and the WakeMed Trauma teams are standing ready to provide immediate care for the seriously injured.
About WakeMed Rehabilitation Hospital
The WakeMed Rehabilitation team of accomplished professionals specialize in treating adults and children who have experienced a stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, orthopaedic issue, trauma, or limb loss through CARF-accredited programs. They share your goal: to regain as much independence and mobility as possible. They use the latest rehab techniques and technology and educate both patients and their family members to restore quality of life. Our medical directors also maintain lifelong relationships with patients to ensure their needs are met as they age. The WakeMed Rehabilitation Hospital, a 73-bed nationally recognized rehabilitation hospital, is located in Raleigh, NC and serves patients throughout the southeastern United States. Please call us at 919-350-7876 to speak with an Admissions representative or to schedule a tour.